Surgery delivery device and mesh anchor

ABSTRACT

A delivery device for delivering a plurality of individual surgical anchors is disclosed. The delivery device includes a housing, a delivery tube, having a distal and a proximal end, an actuator, flexible anchor reaction members, a reciprocating anchor carrier, having a distal and a proximal end, the distal end terminating in a tissue penetrator. The device further includes at least one surgical anchor located in juxtaposition with the anchor carrier. Each of the surgical anchors has a penetration section and a head section. The surgical anchors are preferably made from an absorbable polymer. The actuator is connected to the anchor carrier and has at least two states. The first/home state, includes a position such that the surgical anchor is proximal the distal end of the tube. The second state is such that the penetrating section of the surgical anchor is exposed beyond the distal end of the delivery tube.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Divisional Application which claims thebenefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/709,297,filed on Apr. 27, 2004, the entire content of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

An inguinal hernia is formed when small a loop of bowel or intestineprotrudes through a weak place or defect within the lower abdominalmuscle wall or groin. This condition is rather common, particularly inmales. Hernias of this type can be a congenital defect or can be causedby straining or lifting heavy objects. The protrusion results in anunsightly bulge in the groin area often causing pain, reduced liftingability, and in some cases, impaction of the bowel.

Surgery is a common solution to this problem. The preferred surgicaltechnique requires extracting the bowel from the defect, placing asurgical prosthesis such as a mesh patch over the open defect, andattaching the mesh patch to the inguinal floor with conventional suturesor with surgical fasteners or anchors. The repair is accomplished usingeither open or laparoscopic surgery. Surgical anchors are routinely usedin the laparoscopic procedures owing to the difficulty in suturing underlaparoscopic conditions.

At present, there are a variety of surgical devices and fastenersavailable for the surgeon to use in endoscopic or open procedures toattach the mesh patch to the inguinal floor. One such mesh attachmentinstrument uses a helical wire fastener formed in the shape of a helicalcompression spring. Multiple helical wire fasteners are stored seriallywithin the 5 mm shaft, and are screwed or rotated into the mesh and theoverlaid tissue to form the anchor for the prosthesis. A load spring isused to bias or feed the plurality of helical fasteners distally withinthe shaft. A protrusion extends into the shaft, while preventing theejection of the stack of fasteners by the load spring, allows passage ofthe rotating fastener. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,582,616 and 5,810,882 by LeeBolduc, and 5,830,221 by Jeffrey Stein describe instruments andfasteners of this type.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,203,864 and 5,290,297 by Phillips describe twoembodiments of a hernia fastener and delivery devices. One of thePhillips fasteners is formed in the shape of a unidirectional dart withflexible anchor members. The dart is forced through the mesh and intotissue by a drive rod urged distally by the surgeon's thumb. The anchormembers are forced inward until the distal end of the dart penetratesthe overlaid tissue and then the anchor members, presumably, expandoutward forming an anchor arrangement. Multiple darts are stored in arotating cylinder, much like a revolver handgun. Phillips secondfastener embodiment is a flexible H shaped device. The tissuepenetrating means is a hollow needle containing one of the legs of theH. The H shape is flattened with the cross member and the other legremaining outside the hollow needle owing to a longitudinal slottherein. A drive rod urged distally by the surgeon's thumb againdelivers the fastener. The contained leg of the H penetrates the meshand tissue. After ejection the fastener presumably returns to theequilibrium H shape with one leg below the tissue and one leg in contactwith the mesh with the cross member penetrating the mesh and the tissue,similar to some plastic clothing tag attachments.

A series of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,572,626, 6,551,333, 6,447,524, and6,425,900 and patent applications 200200877170 and 20020068947 by Kuhnsand Kodel, all assigned to Ethicon, describe a super elastic, or shapemetal fastener and a delivery mechanism for them. The fasteners arestored in the delivery device in a smaller state and upon insertion intothe mesh and tissue transitions to a larger anchor shaped state owing towarming above the super elastic transition temperature from body heat.The Ethicon fastener is delivered by an elaborate multistage mechanismthrough a hollow needle that has penetrated the mesh and the tissue. Thehollow needle is then retracted to leave the fastener to change shape,owing to the temperature transition, to a more suitable configurationfor holding the mesh in place.

There are several problems associated with the prior art. The method ofpenetration of the helical fastener is the same as a wood screw, forexample, in that the rotational thread action provides mechanicaladvantage for the advancement of the fastener through the mesh andtissue. The helical fastener, however, does not have a head or stop onthe proximal end so that it can often be screwed all the way through themesh and into the tissue and thus providing no fastening support for themesh. As with any screw a pointed distal end is required to cause thescrew to start into the material. This configuration can cause permanentpain for some placements of the fastener and sometimes results in theneed for the fastener to be excised from the body in a subsequentsurgical procedure.

Both the Phillips dart and H shape fastener must be placed in softenough tissue that will allow the anchor members to deploy or else theholding strength is severely compromised.

The Ethicon device is very complex and expensive to manufacture owing tothe delivery mechanism and the cost of the super elastic fastenermaterial. In addition the proximal end of the fastener is not symmetricso that care must be taken to orient it correctly so that both proximalleg members contact the mesh, since fasteners are almost always deployednear the edges of the mesh. Another problem with the Ethicon device isthat the delivery tube is 5 mm in diameter and the surgeon must hold acounter force with the palm of the hand on the handle to hold thedelivery tube against the mesh while simultaneously applying anoppositely directed force to the trigger (actuator) with his fingers ofthe same hand. The trigger is spring-loaded and requires a substantiallylarger force than the tissue penetrating force. These forces changethroughout the actuator stroke as the spring loads increase. Inaddition, the penetrating force peaks then suddenly decreases as theinitial penetration is made. These two dynamic countervailing forcerequirements from the same hand sometimes causes the surgeon to applytoo much handle pressure resulting in the 5 mm delivery tube puncturingthe tissue causing excess bleeding and other trauma.

The distal end of the dart, the helical coil, and the shape metalfasteners are all pointed shaped and often twenty or more fasteners areused in a single case so that there are many sharply pointed fastenersthat are implanted in the groin area. These fasteners can touch orpenetrate nerves and cause severe pain that is more or less permanentunless they are removed in subsequent surgical procedures.

What is needed then is a hernia mesh fastener or anchor that is simpleto deploy, does not have an implanted sharp distal point, and preferablyis absorbed by the body after a period of time when the tissue in-growthto the mesh obviates the need for a fastener or anchor.

What is further needed is a simple inexpensive hernia mesh anchordeployment device that does not require simultaneous dynamiccountervailing force to be applied by the same hand of the surgeon.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A delivery device for delivering a plurality of individual surgicalanchors is disclosed. The delivery device comprises a housing, adelivery tube, having a distal and a proximal end, an actuator, flexibleanchor reaction members, a reciprocating anchor carrier, having a distaland a proximal end and a distal and proximal position, the distal endterminating in a tissue penetrator. The device further includes at leastone surgical anchor located in juxtaposition with the anchor carrier anda queuing spring to urge the anchors distally. Each of the surgicalanchors has a penetration section and a head section. The surgicalanchors are preferably made from an absorbable polymer. The actuator isconnected to the anchor carrier and has at least two states. The first,or home state, comprises a position such that the surgical anchor isproximal the distal end of the delivery tube. The second state is suchthat the penetrating section of the surgical anchor is exposed beyondthe distal end of the delivery tube. The anchor of the present inventionis then deployed by simply applying a distal force to the handle of thehousing and penetrating the prosthesis and tissue. A reaction memberformed inside and affixed to the delivery tube provides a stop againstwhich the reaction force of penetration is applied to the head sectionof the anchor. When the surgeon is ready to deploy the anchor a triggeris held stationary against the handle such that no dynamiccountervailing forces are encountered. The anchor has a centeredinternal channel through which the cylindrical anchor carrier passes.The distal penetrating tip of the an-chor carrier is shaped like aconical arrowhead with a proximate step-up in diameter from the anchorcarrier cylinder. The inside diameter of the distal end of the an-chorclosely matches the carrier cylinder diameter but al-lows for an easyslip fit. The proximate step-up at the penetrating tip serves as adistal stop for the anchor against the force of the queuing spring. Thepenetration section of the anchor is then forced through the prosthe-sisand tissue. The head of the anchor engages the pros-thesis and thusprovides a stop that does not allow the anchor to traverse theprosthesis as sometimes happens in the use of the helical fastener. Theanchor of the present invention is equipped with rigid radial tissueen-gagement barbs. As the penetration section penetrates the tissue therigid barbs expand the tissue to allow the section to pass into thetissue. As the proximal end of the barbs enters the tissue the expandedtissue retracts to the diameter of the penetrating section shaft thuslocking the anchor in place much like an arrowhead. Unlike the flexi-blePhillips anchor members the rigid barbs of the present invention willnot collapse in rigid tissue. The Phillips members will remain collapsedin rigid tissue thus offer-ing little or no holding strength. After theanchor of the current invention is inserted to the head depth thesurgeon releases the trigger and a restoring torsion spring places aproximal force on the anchor carrier, the distal end of the penetratingshaft of the anchor expands owing to distal longitudinal slits such thatthe tissue penetrator member retracts leaving the anchor in place. Theprocess is then repeated for the next anchor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The novel features of the invention are set forth in the appendedclaims. The invention itself, however, both as to organization andmethods of operation, together with further objects and advantages, maybest be understood by reference to the following description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the surgical anchor of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is the distal end view of the surgical anchor of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is the proximal end view of the surgical anchor of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the anchor delivery device.

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the anchor delivery device in the homestate.

FIG. 6 is a cross section of the anchor delivery device in the strokedstate.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of the distal end of the delivery device inthe home state.

FIG. 8 is a cross section of the distal end of the delivery device inthe stroked state.

FIG. 9 depicts the deliver device in the stroked state proximate themesh.

FIG. 10 shows the anchor after penetration prior to release of thetrigger.

FIG. 11 shows the deployed anchor after ejection from the deliverydevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a surgical device and, moreparticularly, to a surgical device for serially deploying at least onesurgical anchor from a surgical device to attach a prosthesis in placein the repair of a defect in tissue such as an inguinal hernia.

The present invention is illustrated and described in conjunction with arepair of an inguinal hernia, by way of example, however, it should beunderstood that the present invention is applicable to various othersurgical procedures that require the repair of defects in tissue.

The Anchor

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the anchor of the present invention isgenerally designated by the number 10. Anchor 10 comprises a penetrationshaft section 12, a head 11, and three rigid barbs 14. Internal channel13 is concentric with the longitudinal axis and three slits 15 areequally spaced around penetration shaft 12. The distal end of anchor 10is designated 16. Penetration shaft 12 is tapered from the distal mostpoint on barbs 14 to distal end 16. Distal end 16 is blunt. Anchor 10 ispreferably formed from a bio-absorbable material that has a lifetimeafter implantation of from 2 to 12 months. Barbs 14 are rigid and areformed integral to the penetration shaft 14. Slits 15 in distal end 16of penetration shaft 12 allow distal end 16 to flex to facilitateejection of anchor 10 from the delivery device, which is described inmore detail below. The general dimensions of the anchor are: headdiameter, 5 mm; penetration shaft diameter 3 mm; overall length 5 mm.

The Delivery Device

The deliver device can be best understood by referring to FIGS. 4-8.FIG. 4 depicts a side view of the delivery device, generally designatedwith the number 20. Delivery device 20 comprises pistol grip handle 21,an actuator or trigger 22 and delivery tube 23. The outside diameter ofdelivery tube 23 is, preferably, approximately 5 mm for use withstandard trocars, laparoscopic devices for minimally invasive entry intothe abdomen. Handle 21 and trigger 22 are preferably formed from plasticmaterial such as ABS or polycarbonate but alternately can be formed frommetal to facilitate reuse and resterilization. Delivery tube 23 ispreferably formed from thin wall stainless steel but can alternately beformed from rigid biocompatible plastic material. As can be seen in FIG.5 delivery tube 23 contains multiple anchors 10. Delivery tube 23 can bedesigned so that it is readily detachable from handle 21 thus resultingin a reusable handle and a reloadable or replaceable tube, otherwise theentire delivery device is for use only in a single surgical procedure.

FIGS. 5 and 7 are longitudinal cross sections of the proximal and distalends respectively of delivery device 20 in the home or equilibriumstate. Trigger 22 abuts rotating lever 24 which is spring loaded withtorsion spring 27. Anchor carrier 26, connected proximally to piston 25,comprises a cylindrical rod terminating distally in tissue penetratormember or tissue penetrator 32. Anchors carrier 26 is fed insideinternal channels 13 of anchors 10 such that anchors 10 are in head11—to distal end 16—contact such that distal ends 16 of anchors 10 arealigned toward distal end 31 of delivery device 20. The proximal end ofqueuing spring 28 is fixed with respect to delivery tube 23 and thedistal end of queuing spring 28 abuts head 11 of proximal-most anchor10. Queuing spring 28 is compressed and serves to urge anchors 10distally against each other and against the proximal shoulder of tissuepenetrator 32 that abuts distal end 16 of distal-most anchor 10 andprovides a counter force against queuing spring 28. Distal end 16 ofanchor 10 and the proximal end of tissue penetrator 32 are each formedsuch that there is a smooth transition between the two components. Thisminimizes the insertion force required to set anchor 10 into theprosthesis and tissue. With anchor carrier 26 fully loaded with aplurality of anchors the reaction force of queuing spring 28 is sizedsuch that it is inadequate to spread slots 15 of distal most-anchor 10.This assures containment of distal-most anchor 10 inside delivery tube23 when delivery device 20 is in the home state as depicted in FIGS. 5and 7.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 8, when the surgeon pulls trigger 22proximally, away from the home state, lever 24 rotates counterclockwisesuch that cam surface 30 of lever 24 contacts piston 25 which drivesanchor carrier rod 26 distally. Torsion spring 27 compresses as lever 24is rotated counterclockwise. Anchor carrier 26 is urged distally withinthe inside diameter of queuing spring 28. FIGS. 6 and 8 depict deliverydevice 20 in the fully stroked state. In this state head 11 ofdistal-most anchor 10 has been urged past flexible reaction members 29that are fixed with respect to delivery tube 23 and penetration shaft 12of distal-most anchor 10 is exposed past the distal end 31 of deliverytube 23. In this fully stroked state trigger 22 is locked to handle 21by the surgeon's closed hand and no further activation of deliver device20 is necessary to set the anchor into the prosthesis and tissue. Thusno countervailing dynamic forces are required from a single hand of thesurgeon. Simply the surgeon gently pushing the entire assembly distallythen sets distal-most anchor 10. Tissue penetrator 32 leads distal-mostanchor 10 into the prosthesis and the tissue until penetration shaft 12fully engages and head 11 stops against the prosthesis. Flexiblereaction members 29 counter the insertion force of distal-most anchor 10so that anchors 10 do not move proximal during insertion.

Barbs 14 lock distal-most anchor 10 into the tissue. Distal-most anchor10 is then ejected from delivery device 20 when the surgeon retractsdelivery device 20 proximally. Slits 15 spread open allowing penetrator32 to pass through internal channel 13, thus releasing distal-mostanchor 10 from delivery device 20. Trigger 22 is then released. Torsionspring 27 rotates lever 24 clockwise and pulls piston 25 and anchorcarrier 26 proximal owing to piston proximal member 33. Handle stop 34defines the proximal position of piston 25 and anchor carrier 26 in thehome state. Delivery device 20 is now reset to the home state and readyto deploy the next anchor 10.

The Method

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate the method of use of the delivery device 20 andanchor 10. These longitudinal cross-sectional views of the distal end ofdelivery tube 23 show the steps involved in using delivery device 20 andanchor 10 for securing mesh to the inguinal floor, for example. Forclarity only distal-most anchor 10 is shown crosshatched. FIG. 9 depictsthe distal end of the delivery device 20 proximate mesh 35, which coversthe inguinal floor 36 and underlying tissue 37. Delivery device 20 is inthe fully stroked state as seen shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 8. Thesurgeon has pulled trigger 22 fully proximal exposing penetrator 32,barbs 14, and penetration shaft 12 distally from delivery tube 23. Thesurgeon then urges the entire assembly forward so that penetrator 32 andpenetration shaft 12 have penetrated mesh 35 and into tissue 37 as seenin FIG. 10. The surgeon moves delivery device 20 proximally andwithdraws delivery device 10 from contact with mesh 35. Barbs 14 providea counter force in the tissue so that anchor 10 remains in the tissue.Distal end 16 of deployed anchor 10 is flexed open owning to the counterforce to torsion spring 27 so that penetrator 32 and anchor carrier 26are allowed to move proximally through internal channel 13 ofdistal-most anchor 10. The surgeon then releases trigger 22. Torsionspring 27 causes lever 24 to rotate clockwise which moves piston 25 andanchor carrier 26 proximally to the home position as described above.

The proximal shoulder of penetrator 32 then nests against the nextdistal-most anchor so that delivery device 20 is reset to the homeposition and is ready for deploying another anchor 10.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatthese embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilledin the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, it isintended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

1. A method for repairing a hernia defect within a patient, the methodcomprising: providing a surgical anchor delivery device having ahousing, a delivery tube with distal and proximal ends, a reciprocatinganchor carrier, with distal and proximal ends, the distal end of theanchor carrier terminating in a tissue-penetrator member, thereciprocating anchor carrier being moveable distally and proximally withrespect to the delivery device, at least one surgical anchor located injuxtaposition with the anchor carrier, a plurality of surgical anchorslocated within the delivery tube and radially about the anchor carrier,each surgical anchor has a penetration section and a head section;placing a prosthesis over the hernia defect and tissue adjacent thereto;exposing the penetration section of the surgical anchor beyond thedistal end of the delivery tube; penetrating tissue with the tissuepenetrator member and the penetration section by applying a forcedistally on the housing; and placing the penetration section of one ofthe surgical anchors through the prosthesis and within the tissue. 2.The method of claim 1 where the provided anchor is formed from one ormore absorbable polymers.
 3. The method of claim 1 where the providedanchor includes a blunt distal end.
 4. The method of claim 1 where theprovided anchor includes one or more slits for removal from the anchorcarrier.
 5. The method of claim 1 where the provided anchor includes oneor more barbs for engagement with the tissue.
 6. The method of claim 1where the provided delivery device includes a queuing spring.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 where the provided delivery device includes reactionmembers.
 8. A method for repairing a hernia defect within a patient, themethod comprising the steps of: a. providing a surgical anchor deliverydevice having a housing, a delivery tube with distal and proximal ends,a reciprocating anchor carrier with distal and proximal ends, the distalend of the anchor carrier terminating in a tissue penetrator member, thereciprocating anchor carrier being moveable distally and proximally withrespect to the delivery device, the delivery device includes a pluralityof surgical anchors located radially about the anchor carrier, eachsurgical anchor has a penetration section and a head section; b. placinga prosthesis over a hernia defect and a target tissue adjacent thereto;c. placing the distal end of the delivery tube adjacent the targettissue; d. extending the tissue penetrator member and the penetrationsection of a distal-most surgical anchor beyond the distal end of thedelivery tube; e. urging the device proximally to penetrate the tissueand the prosthesis with the tissue penetrator member of the anchorcarrier and the penetration section of the surgical anchor.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, further including the step of withdrawing the tissuepenetrator member of the anchor carrier proximally from the targettissue and into the delivery tube.
 10. The method of claim 8, whereinthe provided surgical anchor delivery device includes reaction membersfor maintaining the distal-most surgical anchor distally beyond thedistal end of the delivery tube upon withdrawal of the tissue penetratormember into the delivery tube.
 11. The method of claim 8, furtherincluding the step of withdrawing the delivery device proximally toremove the distal-most surgical anchor from the anchor carrier.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, further including the step of flexing open thedistal-most surgical anchor to allow proximal movement of the tissuepenetrator through an internal channel defined through the distal-mostsurgical anchor.
 13. The method of claim 8, further including the stepof nesting the tissue penetrator against a distal end of a nextdistal-most surgical anchor.